Blinded by the night? 3 ways to stay safe when driving at night

It’s late and you’re behind the wheel.

You know the feeling – tired eyes, squinting at oncoming headlights, the glare off a wet street.

Night driving is a real problem for millions of us. It’s a safety issue, too. Even though only about a quarter of all driving happens after dark, fatal accidents are 3 times more likely at night.1 About 70% of accidents in which cars hit pedestrians happen at night, according to Consumer Reports.2

Here’s why it’s more difficult to see when you drive in low light:

Our pupils don’t dilate as much in the dark as we age, which means our retinas aren’t taking in as much light. That compromises depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision.

And when your vision is limited in any way, you have less time to react.

85% of the information you need to drive safely is visual4

But there are things that can help.

You can ask your optometrist for anti-reflective lenses. With standard plastic lenses, some light will reflect off the lens, causing glare. Anti-reflective lenses allow more light to pass through to your eye, helping you see more clearly.

A thorough eye exam is your best start to sharpening your night-driving vision. Thanks to improved technology, your eye doctor now has access to the latest diagnostic technology. One example you might have heard a lot about recently is LensCrafters’ new Clarifye, an extremely precise technology that examines variations in the curvature and power of your eye at thousands of different points as light passes through to the retina. Clarifye not only identifies your eyes’ needs, but differentiates daytime versus nighttime concerns by testing your vision in dim, medium and bright light conditions.3 And it does this all in less than 60 seconds.

These materials are designed to provide general information regarding health care topics, do not constitute professional advice nor establish any standard of care, and are provided without representations or warranties of any kind. Quotations, photos and videos are not from actual patients and your experience may be different. Your treating health care professionals are solely responsible for diagnosis, treatment and medical advice. The eye care professionals in your plan are independent practitioners who exercise independent professional judgment and over whom EyeMed has no control or right of control. They are not agents or employees of EyeMed. Eye care professionals do not take the place of your physician.

These materials are designed to provide general information regarding health care topics, do not constitute professional advice nor establish any standard of care, and are provided without representations or warranties of any kind. Quotations, photos and videos are not from actual patients and your experience may be different. Your treating health care professionals are solely responsible for diagnosis, treatment and medical advice. The eye care professionals in your plan are independent practitioners who exercise independent professional judgment and over whom EyeMed has no control or right of control. They are not agents or employees of EyeMed. Eye care professionals do not take the place of your physician.